


Blue and Green and Brown All Over

by dragonfly_wings



Category: Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: Alternate Canon, First Meetings, Multi, Xenophilia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 09:54:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27848886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonfly_wings/pseuds/dragonfly_wings
Summary: In an effort to dodge Imperial patrols, Kanan and Hera detour to a supposedly uninhabited planet and pick up a very interesting new crew member.
Relationships: Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla/Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo
Comments: 23
Kudos: 29
Collections: Star Wars Rare Pairs 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JessKo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JessKo/gifts).



> I got a little carried away with the backstory for the porn -- sorry! But I love the idea of these three on the same side of things, working together (and, naturally, eventually, fucking). I hope you enjoy this. <3

"Chopper! Lock down that coupling _now_ , or so help me, I will sell you for scrap!" Hera snapped, wrestling with the _Ghost_ 's throttle.

The whistle she got in reply sounded distinctly rude, and over the comm from the turret, she heard Kanan growl. "He's not going to have to worry about getting sold, he's going to be free-floating ions if you can't get us out of here -- and so are we! I can handle TIEs, but that cruiser is going to be a problem if it catches up!"

And it was closing fast. Hera swore under her breath, pumping as much power as she dared into the sublights while she waited for Chopper to finish with the hyperdrive. The _Ghost_ was fast, but she couldn't work miracles. In an out-and-out race, that cruiser would win.

Chopper gave a triumphant warble, and the navicomputer lit up. Hera lunged for the lever to trigger the hyperdrive, and the stars outside the viewport blurred into a whirling blue maelstrom for a long moment before she brought them back into realspace. Hopefully the cruiser would follow their vector all the way to Agaris. Even if he suspected that they were just using the vector for a handy escape route, it would take a lot of luck to accurately guess where they had dropped out. Hera had deliberately held it longer than a standard runaway microjump.

"Well, that was fun," Kana said, dropping into the copilot seat and ignoring Chopper's insults. "Who would have guessed that Imperials had no sense of humor?"

She gave him a sideways look, trying not to smile, but knowing that she wasn't quite managing it. "They seem crankier than usual to you? That's the fourth transponder ID that we're going to have to ditch for a while, and we're in Wild Space. There shouldn't be this kind of Imperial presence this far out here. What are they up to?"

Kanan stretched, not looking overly concerned. Hera wasn't surprised. She was the idealist. Kana just came along for her. "Something nefarious, no doubt. If we're not going to Agaris after all, where _are_ we heading?"

Hera pulled up the sector map, such as it was. This far out, the maps were incomplete at best. "Somewhere to lay low," she said. "Any preference?"

Kanan had a strange look on his face, like he was wrestling with himself. She only saw that look when there was some Force-stuff going on. "Here," he said, suddenly irritable, stabbing his finger at what seemed to be a random star. "We should go here."

She pulled up the file on it. "It's uninhabited. Doesn't even have a name. You sure, Kanan?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," he said. "Something's there." He stood abruptly. "I'm going to go lay down."

Hera put out a hand to stop him. "Kanan..."

He brushed right past her like the hand wasn't even there. Chopper whistled triumphantly, and maneuvered himself into the copilot area. Hera barely noticed, staring at the closed cockpit door. Even when it was just the two of them, it was usually easy to forget that Kanan had once been a Jedi, and then he did something like this. She hated it. Not because of his abilities, necessarily -- those were just part of Kanan, and she could no more hate them than she could hate him. But every time something from his old life poked up, any time he had to use the Force, or had the Force use him, he either locked himself in his room for a while, listening to that holocron he had, or, if they were planetside, got drunk off his ass and maybe started a few fights. Either way, it wouldn't be a pleasant night for him.

Hera sighed and keyed in the coordinates of the star system Kanan had pointed out. Ignoring his hunches wouldn't do them any good. Chances were, they'd just come back stronger, and that was if they were lucky enough to avoid disaster. "Chop, I'm going to go get some rest too," she said as they returned to the safety of hyperspace. "Wake me up if anything happens, okay?"

He gave her an affirmative toodle, extending his manipulator arm and linking into the _Ghost_ 's systems.

She set an alarm to wake her half an hour before they were due to come out of hyperspace, then dropped down onto her bunk. She was asleep seconds after hitting the pillow, but she tossed and turned most of the rest cycle, dreams filled with memories of the Jedi that had fought and died on her homeworld when she was a little girl, except that in her dreams, all the Jedi had Kanan's face.

When she left her room, still yawning and stretching, she had to stop short to avoid running into Kanan, who was waiting right outside her door.

"Hey," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"Hey," she returned, folding her arms over her chest defensively. "You better?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. But Chop says we'll be out of hyperspace soon. Figured you'd want to be up there."

"Yeah." He was still in her way. "What's wrong, Kanan?"

"There's something about this planet... I've got a bad feeling about it, is all."

"You're the one that picked it."

"I know, and that's part of the problem. Like something was encouraging me to choose it. I don't trust it, Hera. Be careful."

She put a gentle hand on his arm. "I'm always careful."

That got her a snort. "Sure you are. And I'm Queen of Alderaan."

Hera laughed. "Well, I try to be, You Majesty," she amended, walking with him up to the cockpit. She took the pilot's seat, pretending not to notice as Kanan tried to move Chopper out of the copilot's seat, only to have the droid spin his top while brandishing his manipulator arms. She hid a smile as Kanan gave up and slumped into the passenger seat.

The navicomputer beeped and she pulled back on the hyperspace lever, sending them back into realspace. The planet coalesced in front of them, and Hera checked her readouts. "Atmoshpere's breathable. Climate looks a little wet for my tastes, but good for you. Doesn't look like any major cities or artificial satellites. Chop, do a scan for any smaller settlements?"

Chopper whistled, his hookup with the _Ghost_ spinning as he directed the sensors. More information scrolled across Hera's display, and Kanan leaned forward to read over her shoulder. "Looks like there's a small settlement in the southern hempisphere."

"I don't even know that I'd call it a settlement," Hera said. "Looks like maybe a farm? Not room for more than one family, maybe two if they squeeze. Chop, any identifiable lifeforms?"

Chopper made a rude noise, dome spinning to train his optical sensors on her, and Hera rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know it's a long shot with our scanners, but do it anyway. Focus on those buildings you found."

Chopper grumbled, but soon more information scrolled across her screen. As expected, none of it was particularly useful. All of the lifeforms down there were alien, and there were far too many of them for the _Ghost's_ sensors to pick out anything specific. It did at least verify that there wasn't a large population of any known species lurking anywhere down there.

Hera made a decision and spun her seat around, standing up. "Well, we won't find anything else out from up here. I'm heading down in the _Phantom_."

"I'm coming with you," Kanan said instantly, as she knew he would. He wouldn't let her go into potential danger alone if he could help it. It was sweet, if impractical.

"Chop, keep an eye out and let us know if anyone jumps in-system."

Chopper whistled, and Hera stroked his dome briefly, then followed Kanan out of the cockpit and into the _Phantom_. "That feeling get any more solid?" she asked as she settled into the pilot's seat and flicking switches to bring up the engines.

Kanan stared out of the viewport silently for a long moment as Hera separated them and started down into the atmosphere. "No," he said finally. "I feel like I'm... _supposed_ to be here. But I don't know why, and I don't trust it."

That was more than Kanan usually shared about his feelings and hunches. Hera made an inquiring noise, not wanting to say anything and break the moment.

"...It's almost like when I met you on Gorse," he finally admitted as they skimmed treetops, approaching the outpost that the sensor's had picked up.

"Well, that worked out fi- hey!" Out of nowhere, Kanan had lunged forward, yanking the steering yoke back and sending the _Phantom_ shooting vertical.

"There was something there, I promise," Kanan said, holding his hands up as she rounded on him once the _Phantom_ was back under control. "I don't know what, but I..."

"...Sensed it," Hera finished for him. "Alright. Let's take a look, then. Hands off the controls." She brought the ship back around, keeping her speed as slow as she could, running mostly on repulsorlifts.

"Stop," Kanan said as she edged past the spot where he had jerked her off course. "Open the hatch and swing around, let me get a look at it."

She did what he asked, just as interested as he was in finding out what was going on.

He knelt on the edge of the ramp, looking closely at something, then she saw him shake his head and, to her surprise, pull out the parts of his lightsaber, twisting them together and igniting it before slashing through something that she couldn't see.

"High-tension wire," he explained as he separated his lightsaber halves again and sat down. "You're good now."

This whole sensing things was really getting to him if he was so casual about his lightsaber, Hera thought. It didn't seem like a smart thing to mention. She kicked the engines back in, and soon they were settling into a landing in a clearing, next to what was clearly a pair of generators and a small hut. 

"What do you think?" Kanan asked, peering out the viewport. "It's not a farm. Not any kind of forward base."

"Castaway?" Hera suggested, shutting the systems down. "In which case they might be glad for company."

"Yeah, so glad they try and make any company crash," Kanan said. "Real friendly person, huh?"

She elbowed him, squeezing past him to hit the hatch controls. "Well, I've got you to protect me."

It was quiet as they explored the small encampment, quiet and empty. Hera sighed as they headed back to the _Phantom_. "Could be they've already been picked up?" she suggested.

Kanan shook his head. "There's still something here," he insisted. "I just-"

He broke off as the rounded the _Phantom_ to find an alien standing there, clearly waiting for them.

"Hello," he said, in accented but clearly understandable Basic. He looked almost like a cross between a Duros and a Pantoran, humanoid in appearance with deep blue skin and glowing red eyes. Hera's lekku twitched in interest.. Even dressed in patched hides and furs, the alien had a commanding air about here, and those eyes felt like they were staring right through her as they flicked over her and Kanan.

Kanan's hand had dropped to her blaster, and Hera realized that hers had done the same.

"Peace," the alien said. "I wish to know the Jedi."

"What Jedi?" Kanan asked.

"The lightsaber. It destroyed my trap." The red gaze settle on Kanan's belt, at the halves of the hilt strapped to it separately. "You. I have hoped for a Jedi to land."

"The Jedi are extinct," Hera said, with a silent apology to Kanan for stating things so plainly. "It's just a souvenir."

"Extinct? I knew one once. Perhaps you did as well?" He addressed himself to Kanan, clearly not believing the 'souvenir' line. "Anakin Skywalker."

"He's dead," Kanan said bluntly. "Like she said, all the Jedi are."

"A shame. I had hoped to meet him again." He shook his head. "But another Jedi might be sufficient." He offered Kanan a slight bow. "You may call me Thrawn."


	2. Chapter 2

Hera invited Thrawn aboard the _Ghost_. Of course she did. Kanan scowled at the ceiling in his quarters from where he lay stretched out on his bunk. Because they really needed someone who admitted they were looking for Jedi and could identify Kanan as one. Gingerly, he rubbed his jaw. The accusation that Hera was thinking with her lekku may have been a touch over the line, however. At least they'd been out of sight and talking in Ryl at the time. Thrawn had still probably heard the slap.

And out of line or not, it was _true_. Kanan didn't spend much time, as a rule, trying to reach out to the Force, not anymore, but he wasn't blind and deaf to it, either. Hera's attraction to Thrawn had been as undeniable as it was unwelcome. And if Kanan was being honest with himself, his had matched it.

So he'd always had a thing for blue skin. Apparently Hera did too. It didn't have to mean anything -- except she'd invited him _onto her ship_. It had taken saving a planet for Kanan to get his own invitation, and if Hera's current mood was any indication, his days aboard were numbered. He sighed, trying to remember old lessons and let his anger go.

The smart thing to do would be to go apologize. Maybe get to know Thrawn. Yeah. That would definitely be the smart, _mature_ thing.

It took him another ten minutes to work up the nerve to head out to the galley, following the sound of Hera's voice, though he didn't recognize the words. Great. She and Thrawn had a secret language. He tamped down the emotion rising in him at that. Hera was her own woman, he reminded himself. They hadn't made any commitments to each other. And he was trying to be mature and even-keeled, and probably some other kriffing nonsense.

"Hey," he said as he stepped through the hatch. "How's it going?"

Hera's eyes narrowed at him -- he definitely wasn't forgiven for that lekku comment yet -- but she did at least switch back to Basic. "Thrawn was just telling me how he'd ended up on that planet."

"Oh?" Kanan asked, looking at Thrawn and very firmly pushing aside the very pleasant physical reaction to that face. "What happened?"

"I was..." He hesitated and looked at Hera, saying something in that unfamiliar language.

"Exiled," Hera supplied. 

Thrawn inclined his head slightly. "My thanks. I was exiled for seeking an advance solution to a potential invasion."

"Preemptive strikes," Hera said. "His people, the Chiss, they don't believe in them." She finally slid along the bench that ringed the table, making room for Kanan to join them if he wanted. It wasn't forgiveness, but it was a start. 

He took it. "You said that you were looking for a Jedi."

"Yes. I thought, if I was found by your Republic, i might find allies. To protect my people."

"They exiled you, and you're still protecting them?" Kanan asked. "That's commitment."

"Do you not do the same? Captain Syndulla has explained how the Jedi were lost, but still you seek to help and protect those you can."

Hera had explained too much, in Kanan's opinion. "Normal people didn't kill the Jedi. We're working against the ones who did."

"As most of my people had little say in my exile," Thrawn said. He shook his head slightly, just enough for Kanan to notice. "But with the Republic gone, Captain Syndulla has said that I am unlikely to find allies."

"That's true," Kanan agreed. "The Empire isn't a fan of non-humans."

Thrawn frowned and looked at Hera, who offered a quick translation. "But I told him, if the Empire is destroyed, a new Republic might be in position to make an alliance like that," she added in Basic.

Kanan made a face. He knew Hera's dreams, and her certainly wasn't opposed to sticking it to the Empire where they could, but it was still hard to imagine anything making it fall. Palpatine had things too firmly in his grasp.

"You disagree?" Thrawn asked.

Kanan shrugged, leaning back against the bench. "It's a long term plan," he said. "I just do what she tells me."

He couldn't get a good read on Thrawn. New alien races were always tricky, with unique thought patterns that were hard to interpret. But Hera was clearly banking on something with him, and it wasn't just that he set her lekku to twitching. No, it was probably that marking feeling that had sent them to Thrawn's planet in the first place, and Kanan still didn't know if he trusted it or not. Hera was making her arguments, the same ones she always did when this subject came up, and Kanan tuned her out, reluctantly opening himself up to the Force, focusing his attention on Thrawn.

He'd spent enough time around clones to recognize a military mind when he touched one, alien or not. A strong sense of loyalty and duty -- that could go either way, but it fit with what he'd said. There was a strong sense of honor, again could be a good sign or a bad. An overall feeling he could best describe as qualified honesty. Art, for some reason that Kanan couldn't begin to fathom. And a hint of heat...

Oh. Well now. Thrawn's motives maybe weren't quite as pure as he'd said. Kanan had gotten enough to believe that Thrawn was at least mostly telling the truth, and that he'd probably even be useful in Hera's whole rebellion thing. But that heat...

He hadn't just agreed to go with them because he wanted to find a Jedi, or because he'd been swayed by Hera's ideals. Much like Kanan himself, he had come aboard the _Ghost_ because he felt the same pull Kanan did for its captain. And to Kanan's surprise, for him as well. It was ridiculous. The Force wasn't some...matchmaker. That couldn't have been what had pulled him to that nameless little planet.

"Kanan?" Oops. He'd lost track of the conversation. Hera was giving him a concerned look, and while Thrawn's expression was unreadable, those red eyes seemed to see far too much.

"Sorry," he said, forcing his tone casual and trying not to give Thrawn too overt of an appraising look. "Drifted off a bit. I think I'll go check on Chopper, stretch my legs a bit." Not his most subtle exit, but neither of them called him on it.

Half an hour later, Her joined him in the cockpit. "What was that, Kanan? You don't just drift off in the middle of a conversation." She touched his arm lightly. "Are you okay?"

Kanan softened at the genuine concern in her voice. "Yeah. Listen, Hera, what I said down on the planet... I'm sorry. That was uncalled for. But I still had to check him out." He tapped his temple to indicate what he meant, and Hera looked surprised.

"But you never... How worried were you, Kanan, really? I thought you were just jealous."

"I mostly was," he conceded. "I think Thrawn's...okay. I mean, I think he'll definitely put his own people above anything to do with your -- our -- rebellion, but it probably won't be an immediate problem."

"Most people put their own homes first. We'll make it work."

"Yeah. About that. Making it work, I mean. I know you didn't bring him aboard just because you're attracted to him. But you _are_ attracted, right?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Maybe."

"Well, maybe I am too. The really interesting part is that maybe so is _he_."

Hera's eyebrows rose. "In...?" she prompted.

Kanan gestured to both of them. "I'm not saying we bribe him over to our side with sex," he cautioned. "I don't think it would work anyway. But for a bit of fun? I probably wouldn't say no if you didn't."

Slowly, a smile spread across Hera's face. "You know, I don't think I'd say no either." She shook her head with a sigh, smile fading. "But I don't want him to even think that we're trying to use sex as a weapon against him. We wait for him to make the first move. Deal?"

Kanan made a face, but nodded reluctantly. "Deal."


	3. Chapter 3

"So what's this mission?" Zeb asked, pushing Chopper away from him with one foot as he leaned back against the wall. "I hope it's blowing something up. I like that part."

Chopper beeped a rude suggestion of what exactly Zeb could blow up, and Thrawn couldn't help but once again think longingly of the military he had left behind, where everyone knew their part and the infighting was at least easier for him to miss. 

"We are trying to avoid attracting undue attention," he said. "Explosions rather defeat the purpose."

Zeb's eyeroll was not subtle, but the smile that Hera gave him made up for it, warming Thrawn in the secret way that he was careful never to discuss or allow to show. Kanan and Hera were clearly together, had been since before he joined the _Ghost's_ crew almost two standard years ago. His feelings towards either one of them, towards both of them, were immaterial and irrelevant, and they would stay private.

"This one is strictly a rescue op," Hera said. "There was a cadet at the Academy here. She deserted, and she needs to get clear before the Empire can track her down and, well..."

They all knew what the Empire did to deserters. Thrawn nodded. "The artist?" he asked. She had been on his scanner for several months. Her art suggested that sooner or later, she would find the Empire far too confining and brutal for her.

Kanan nodded. "We think so. Which means you have the best chance of figuring out where she's hiding. Chop will come with us in case we need to slice our way in anywhere, I'll be with you, and Zeb's our muscle in case we get stuck. Hera, of course, will run pickup."

"We'll make it to the planet in about an hour," Hera said. "We'll land at the spaceport, hopefully we can slip out without making a fuss, but if you boys make too much noise, these streets are big enough for me to slide down to grab you." She brought up a holomap and highlighted the broad avenues she was talking about. "The Imp presence isn't that heavy, though, mostly just the Academy and a small garrison. Don't break any heads you don't have to, and it should be a quiet job." That was very pointedly directed at Zeb, who gave her an unrepentant grin.

"All the heads I break are necessary," he said, stroking his bo-rifle.

Hera sighed. "Of course they are. Everyone, do what you need to to get ready, I'll call when we're dropping out of hyperspace."

Thrawn waited for Chopper and Zeb to leave first, with their now-customary array of shoves and insults, then raised his brows at Kanan, who was watching him. "Yes?"

Kanan shrugged. "Wondered if you wanted any help with the makeup," he said, his tone just a little too casual, and his stance not quite right. He had been more and more off lately. Hera too. Thrawn hadn't yet been able to work out the specifics. But it was, for lack of a better word, rather unsettling. With any luck, there would be time enough to figure it out after they picked up the defector.

"Yes, thank you," he said. As the only Chiss in this part of the galaxy, it was safer for him not to be noticed. Whenever possible, they disguised him as a Pantoran, and Kanan always did the facial markings for him. There shouldn't have been any reason to ask.

"Hera and I were talking," Kanan said abruptly as he carefully traced the outlines of the markings that Thrawn had chosen for his Pantoran persona. "This deserter. If we get her safely aboard. We're not going to have the space anymore for everyone to have their own room anymore."

"No," Thrawn said slowly. "I suppose not." 

"Can't make anyone share with Zeb," Kanan said. "That would just be cruel. But... Well. There's a second bunk in my room. If you're willing."

He was not. Better to share with Zeb, with the smells and the fur and the snoring than to subject himself to being so close to Kanan every night, and still be unable to touch. The only thing worse would be to share Hera's room and not her bunk. "Why not you and Hera?" he asked, keep his voice steady with what he thought was an admirable amount of control.

Kanan's hand jerked, smearing the paint. "What?" His voice cracked. Interesting. Thrawn hadn't heard it do that before.

"You and Hera are...together," he said, unsure of the right word to describe the relationship they had. "It would only be logical for you to share a room as well."

Kanan cleared his throat as he wiped up the paint smear, hand trembling slightly. Another thing to wonder about. "Yes, but... I mean... That's not... Hera needs her space," he finally settled on.

"And you?" Thrawn asked.

"I'm...willing to share," Kanan said, setting down the brush and finally meeting Thrawn's eyes. "If you are."

Thrawn cleared his throat. It felt like there was something in it. Possibly he was falling ill. "It may be worth the experiment."

There was a brief flash of Kanan's honest grin, the one that usually only Hera could draw out. "Experiment. Sure." He snapped the face paint container closed. "You probably want to look over the girl's art again, huh? How about bringing it up to the cockpit, share the conclusions with the whole gang."

"I don't need to," Thrawn said. "I've been looking at it in detail for months." Nagging Hera about it, to be honest. If they were going to make this crusade against the Empire worth anything, they needed people like that artist. "She's young, Mandalorian. Not the type to stay quiet for long. She'll have explosives, or be looking to get them. And she'll leave her mark everywhere she thinks she can get away with it. We should be able to follow her trail rather easily."

Kanan nodded slowly, perhaps impressed, perhaps simply absorbing the information. "Alright then. Want to come up to the cockpit anyway, help keep Chopper and Zeb in line?"

* * *

Thrawn was right. They had had to dodge stormtroopers a couple of times, losing Thrawn's shaded visor in the process, but the trail was easy enough to follow if one observed closely. "She's close," he said, standing up from his inspection of a tangle of graffiti and showing Kanan the smear of orange paint on his finger. "This marking is fresh."

Their comlinks buzzed. From up on the rooftops, Zeb told them, "Hey, you've got bucketheads incoming."

Thrawn glanced around. They were in an alley, no easily accessible exits. And just standing around, they would look very suspicious - and that was before the Imperials got a good look at his eyes. A way out, there was always a way-- "Mmph!"

Kanan had settled on an alternate plan of action, one that involved grabbing Thrawn's collar and pulling him down into a kiss. A rather nice kiss, actually, Thrawn thought dimly. Not that he had overmuch experience, certainly not recently. But nice all the same. The light from the stormtroopers flashlights played over them, and Thrawn kept his eyes closed, willing himself to relax into this, trusting Kanan's judgement.

"Ah, it's just an alien-lover freak having a moment," came the mechanical stormtrooper voice. "Let's keep moving."

The light drew away, but Thrawn found it harder to pull away from Kanan. Zeb, predictably, broke the spell. "Aww, that's sweet. But we're wasting time, lovebirds. I'm ready to be done with this, I don't like all this sneaking around."

It was a strategy, Thrawn reminded himself, forcing his breathing to even back out and hoping desperately that Kanan hadn't felt the reaction he'd had to the kiss. Surely they hadn't been pressed _that_ tightly together.

Kanan cleared his throat. "We're working on it, Spectre Five," he said, his voice sounding almost as unsteady as Thrawn felt. "Spectre Four?" 

That was him. "Yes," he said, with admirable control. "A very effective strategy, though." There was that grin again, and it warmed him almost as much as the kiss had. "This way," he said, trying not to dwell on that.

Her art had indicated a preference for going right, a common failing among humans, who tended to use that hand dominantly. That took them back out into the street where the stormtroopers had just been, though heading in the opposite direction. They were only halfway down the block when Thrawn stopped abruptly, his eyes picking out the flecks of paint on the door pad even in the darkness. "Here. We should enter carefully - as I said, she enjoys explosives."

"Chop? You're up," Kanan said, and the droid used its boosters to get down from his spot by Zeb on the roof. "Don't open it all the way, just unlock it so I can talk to her."

The dor opened a couple of centimeters, and Kanan dodged the blaster bolt. "Nice shot," he said. "But you're going to attract an awful lot of stormtroopers if you keep shooting. I'm a friend. Can I come in?"

"I don't have any friends. And if any stormtroopers come, I'll shoot them too."

There was a wobble in her voice that suggested otherwise, but there was durasteel there too. Thrawn remembered her art, remembered his estimation of her age, and mentally revised it down another standard year. Not too much older than a sky-walker.

"I bet you would," Kanan said, still standing clear of the crack in the door. "Probably blow them up too, right? My friend says you like explosives. He's a big fan of your art."

That seemed to have disarmed her, at least somewhat. "You've seen my art?"

Kanan looked at Thrawn and nodded, gesturing him forward. "I have. It's quite impressive. The starbird is your favored symbol, of course, but I believe I recognize the influence of Janyor of Bith?"

"...Yes." The door slid open another few centimeters, and not by Chopper's doing. "Janyor of Bith artwork is banned by the Empire."

"The Empire is shortsighted. We have a... different plan for the galaxy. And we would very much like to offer you a place among us, unless you would prefer to return to your family on Krownest."

"...How did you know I'm from Krownest?"

"My dear, it's written everywhere in your work. You may as well have included a star map."

Kanan buried his face in his hands - apparently he thought that was the wrong thing to say. Thrawn decided to ignore him. "Open the door the rest of the way. I promise, one look at me and you'll believe that we're not with the Empire," he said, voice very dry. The comments on aliens from stormtroopers tended to...wear, after a time.

There was a pause, but Thrawn didn't worry, trusting his analysis of the art. Sure enough, after a long moment, the door opened the rest of the way, revealing a young human woman with dark hair in a regulation Imperial cut.

"Alright, you don't look Imperial," she admitted. "And I suppose if you are, you already found me anyway. So what are you going to do about it?"

"We're going to take you back to our ship," Kanan said. "And then you can decide what you want to do. You're not a prisoner, kid. We're trying to rescue you."

"Then you can call me Sabine. Let's get to your ship."

* * *

It wasn't that easy, of course, but none of them got hit by any of the blaster bolts, and they managed to take out a few stormtroopers. It wasn't enough, it would never be enough, but for one night, it would do. While Zeb showed Sabine around the ship, Thrawn moved his belongings into Kanan's room, settling them on the shelf Kanan had cleared for him.

"Thrawn?"

He turned to find Hera in the doorway, and she smiled at him. "Kanan told me what happened. Are you okay?"

Hot and cold and entirely out of sorts. "Yes, of course," he lied, almost smoothly enough to make himself believe it. Apparently not enough for Hera.

Her smile deepened slightly, and she moved forward, her movements slow and obvious enough to give him plenty of chances to object. He didn't move until her hand came up to wrap around behind his neck and pull him down into his second kiss of the night.

Hera's mouth felt different, warmer, less demanding, with sharp teeth that caught at his bottom lip, but he melted just as much as he had for Kanan. Years of wanting this, of wanting _them_ and he couldn't begin to fathom why everything was coming together tonight, but for once in his life, he didn't even want to question it.

He heard the door close, and his eyes fluttered open, to find Kanan had joined them. He put an arm around Hera's waist, and caught Thrawn's chin in his other hand, gently pulling him away from Hera and back to his mouth. Hera's hands, meanwhile, had slid up under his shirt and were exploring his torso, and, almost tentatively, Thrawn allowed his own hands to begin to wander - though her jumpsuit made it annoyingly difficult to find skin.

Kanan broke the kiss with a small chuckle. "You know, I usually can't get a read on you, but that came through loud and clear. And you're right."

"What's he right about?" Hera asked, gently pushing Thrawn back until he sat on the bed and then starting to pull his shirt off entirely.

"Your jumpsuit is a menace," Kanan said, catching the zipper and pulling it down with tantalizing slowness. For his benefit, Thrawn realized. So that he could see every bit of skin become visible, like unveiling a masterpiece. He even paused as Hera pulled Thrawn's shirt over his head, so he didn't miss anything while his vision was blocked.

"He says that," Hera said, trailing a finger down the center of Thrawn's chest, "But I ask you to note who among us is still fully dressed. I don't think my jumpsuit is the problem, dear."

The zipper had reached its lowest point, and Thrawn willingly helped her to slide the jumpsuit off while Kanan took the not-so-subtle hinto and started shedding his own clothing. Hera's breath caught in her throat as Thrawn's finger lightly brushed her lekku. Always a fast learner, Thrawn did it again, deliberately this time. He'd known they were sensitive, but he hadn't realized it was like _that_.

She kicked off her boots with the jumpsuit, pushing him back again and starting on his pants. He let her, feasting his eyes on her and Kanan, who had finished with his own clothing. The picture they made was better than anything he had pictured alone in his bunk, though also... significantly different in some aspects.

Hera hummed as she pulled his pants off, perhaps finding something different to what she may have imagined. It was a problem that Thrawn had never come across, having before been in this position only with other Chiss, but of course she and Kanan must have navigated before, with each other if not with anyone else.

Kanan glanced up to meet his eyes as he reached out to gently stroke the writhing tendrils emerging from his cloaca, and Thrawn shuddered, throwing his head back and biting his lip.

Hera tsked, stretching out next to him and capturing his mouth in another kiss. "You can make noise. Kanan and I have tested the soundproofing pretty thoroughly."

That did not help at _all_. He could feel his tentacles thickening, growing wetter as he inevitably pictured the two of them testing the sound-proofing, this time with more accurate images.

He could feel Hera's smile against his lips. "You show us what you like, love, and we'll return the favor." She caught one of his wandering hands, guiding it to stroke against her lekku again. "Right there is nice, and here," guiding along her breasts and nipples, "And here." she brought his hand between her legs.

He experimented with his fingers as he found her opening, stroking gently until he found a spot that made her arch and make a _very_ satisfying sound. He heard Kanan chuckle, and the next thing he knew, he was the one making desperate little noises, as Kanan took one of his tentacles in his mouth and sucked gently. He didn't even know that was something a person could do, none of his admittedly limited prior experience had involved such things, and now Thrawn was wondering what else he had missed out on. 

Kanan pinned his hips down, licking at another tendril lightly. "Awfully sensitive, aren't you?" he asked wickedly. "What if I just..."

" _Kassir!_ "

"I think that's a yes," Kanan decided. He took three in his mouth this time, and Thrawn thought that he was probably about to die, and he was surprisingly okay with that. Trying not to release, he focused as much of his attention as he could on Hera, devoting both of his hands to her until she was in much the same state he was.

Finally, Kanan pulled back. "Can you move?" he asked, voice teasing. "I want you inside me, but if you can't manage it..."

Thrawn would return from the dead if that was what was required to manage it. Hera apparently felt much the same way, the two of them moving almost as one to give Kanan room to lay alongside them, Thrawn in the middle. Hera pressed against his back, trailing kisses down his spine. Thrawn shivered, still not sure that this wasn't some wonderful dream.

"There we go," Kanan said, using his hand to guide Thrawn's tentacles where he wanted them, and Thrawn almost moaned in unison with him as he felt the first one enter Kanan. He didn't need any help after that figuring it out, and Kanan left off guiding him to take himself in hand.

Thrawn dared to nuzzle his head into the space between Kanan's neck and shoulder, watching him as he worked his tentacles in and out. They brushed against something and Kanan jerked. " _Yes!_."

Deliberately now, he aimed for that spot, and Kanan's cries became steadily less coherent until he stiffened, breath catching as he released a thin fluid not too terribly different from Thrawn's own. The tightening of Kanan's muscles around his tentacles, and the experience of getting to _watch_ him like that tipped Thrawn over the edge as well, and he buried his head in Kanan's shoulder as he shuddered through the aftershocks.

"Now _that_ is art," Hera murmured from behind him. Thrawn pulled himself gently away from Kanan to look at her, and she smiled, letting him watch her with one hand working busily between her legs. "I get you next time, love," she said as she finished as well, collapsing back down next to them. She stretched up to kiss him, her hand, damp with her fluids, tracing patterns on his skin. 

There would be a next time? There would be a next time! "It's a promise," he agreed.


End file.
